The Amazing Adventures of AstrobioBot: Series 1

Welcome to the first feature of Astrobiology Magazine's Astrobio Comics Presents! This series of Astrobio Comics tells the tale of an exploration mission - all through the eyes of a little robotic instrument and his journey to becoming a full-fledged Astrobiology adventurer. Here is The Amazing Adventures of AstrobioBot!

Welcome to the first feature of Astrobiology Magazine’s Astrobio Comics Presents! This series of Astrobio Comics tells the tale of an exploration mission – all through the eyes of a little robotic instrument and his journey to becoming a full-fledged Astrobiology adventurer. Here is The Amazing Adventures of AstrobioBot!

Ignoring Chris McKay’s warning, AstrobioBot roamed deep into the Mojave and studied all the microbial colonies he could find. However, alone in the harsh desert, his curiosity could bring an end to his mission…

Stranded in the Mojave, AstrobioBot is visited by a vision of his own ‘Spirit guide’, the Mars Exploration Rover (MER), Spirit. Spirit explains that it’s not just living cells on Mars that AstrobioBot must search for, but also signs of past life that could prove whether or not ancient Mars was habitable.

Spirit explains his own mission, which provided many clues about the presence of liquid water in Mars’ past. Spirit’s mission lasted for more than six years, and was full of difficult challenges and scientific suprises.

Spirit recounts his struggles and fantastic discoveries. Even a broken wheel provided further insight into the potential for life on ancient Mars. Spirit struggled through the sand to find a safe resting place for the winter. His solar panels needed to be in a good position to catch what little sunlight was available… otherwise, he wouldn’t wake up in the spring.

Meanwhile, Chris McKay and the kids of Spaceward Bound hatch a rescue plan using the “Doing Research at Extreme Altitudes by Motivated Students” (DREAMS) project. Luther Richardson, a high-school teacher from Columbus, GA, who heads the DREAMS project and the kids of Valley View Elementary in Pleasanton, CA, quickly attach a camera and other instruments to a high-altitude balloon. Hopefully, a view from above will help them spot AstrobioBot in the vast desert… but the harsh environment of the Mojave could foil their plans!

While Chris McKay and the Spaceward Bound team struggle to mount a rescue mission, AstrobioBot continues his vision quest with the Spirit rover. Now that Spirit has taught him about her experience on Mars, AstrobioBot reveals a bit about his own origins.

AstrobioBot finishes recounting the story of his ‘birth.’ As Spirit fades away into the Mojave, she gives AstrobioBot one last piece of advice. Now, will AstrobioBot be strong enough to hang onto life until rescue comes?

Using a spare balloon, the DREAMS team manages to successfully spot AstrobioBot in the Mojave. Chris McKay and the Spaceward Bound participants rush to the scene, but AstrobioBot’s batteries are out of juice and he is barely holding on. Will they be in time to save him?

The quick re-charge of AstrobioBot’s batteries may have scrambled his circuits – or maybe he’s just intent on the next phase of his mission. He almost rushes away once again in order to pursue his goal of finding Steve Squyres, but Chris McKay tries to hold him back.

AstrobioBot and Chris McKay escape to a remote location in British Columbia, Canada. Hopefully this will buy them some time before the Budget Cuts track them down. At Kelly Lake, they meet up with members of the Pavilion Lake Research Project, who are exploring unique habitats for microbial life deep below the waves.

While AstrobioBot explores the floor of Kelly Lake, Chris McKay and Darlene Lim come up with a plan to retrieve him. Using some clever programming, Darlene hopes to find AstrobioBot using one of the DeepWorker subs… but a storm is brewing on the horizon.

While AstrobioBot struggles to drive out of Kelly Lake, he searches his database for ‘Ocean Worlds.’ Suddenly, he is flooded with data on a myriad of worlds in our solar system that could host oceans on or below their surfaces.

AstrobioBot daydreams about the search for life on Europa and realizes that the microbialites of Kelly Lake could help astrobiologists identify signs of life on other worlds. He decides to collect a sample for Darlene Lim… but it may be more than he can handle.

AstrobioBot is trapped beneath a heavy microbialite sample. Luckily Darlene Lim has finished scanning the floor of Kelly Lake in search of the intrepid robotic explorer. AstrobioBot is some 65 meters below water on the floor of the lake… but luckily the DeepWorker sub is capable of diving up to 2000 meters! The arm of the DeepWorker comes to AstrobioBot’s rescue… and gets an excellent microbialite sample in the mix!

The team rushes through the rain to the Mobile Command Center. In the lab, Darlene Lim begins to examine AstrobioBot’s microbialite sample. In the meantime, Chris and AstrobioBot begin to plan their next move to keep ahead of the Budget Cuts.

AstrobioBot and Chris McKay fly across the Canadian north to Haughton Crater on the remote Devon Island. Haughton is a popular test-bed for Mars exploration, and Steve Squyres is there testing new concepts for Mars rovers. However, Squyres is not sure if AstrobioBot is up to the task of becoming a Mars explorer.

AstrobioBot is put through the ropes by Steve Squyres. The workout is intense, and AstrobioBot has to keep pace with all of the other advanced-concept rovers. Will he have the strength to prove himself to Squyres?

The concept rovers dash to climb the wall of Haughton Crater. Whoever makes it to the top will prove they have what it takes for a mission to Mars! However, the cliff is steep and many of the rovers come tumbling back down. Will AstrobioBot have what it takes to make it to the top?

AstrobioBot is ready for the big-time, but if he’s going to have success at Mars… he needs an instrument make-over! Steve Squyres takes him to scientists around the country who are working on projects for the Astrobiology Science & Technology Instrument Development (ASTID) program. A new Mars mission is on the horizon in 2011, and there’s a new suite of instruments that might be perfect for AstrobioBot!

The Principal Investigators continue with AstrobioBot’s rover makeover. He’s traumatized by the loss of his wheels, but his worries are quickly dispelled as the scientists administer a range of treatments to test AstrobioBot’s new instruments. First is the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument. SAM will allow AstrobioBot to study carbon chemistry and organic compounds on Mars. Next is the Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD), built with contributions from the German Space Agency. This instrument will characterize radiation at the martian surface. Then there’s a small weather station contributed by the Spanish government – the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS). Finally, AstrobioBot is given a chance to test the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) instrument, which lets him study mineralogy to characterize past or present habitats for life!

Luckily, AstrobioBot’s Halloween surprise is more ‘treat’ than ‘trick’ … the principal investigators have fitted him with a brand new pair of eyes! As his new instruments come into focus, the treats continue for our intrepid little adventurer.

AstrobioBot is taught about the dangers of a mission to Mars – dangers that were highlighted by the recent difficulties of the Phobos-Grunt mission. Is he still willing to face the risks in order to reach his beloved Mars?

The Budget Cuts reveal a shocking secret about AstrobioBot’s origins as they try to stop his launch to Mars! But all is not lost. AstrobioBot’s friends are joined by Jim Green and the NASA Administrators in an epic battle against the Budget Cuts. Can they get the Budget Cuts under control in time to deliver AstrobioBot safely to the launch pad?

The launch of NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory mission is a huge success! AstrobioBot braces against the pressure of the blasting rockets, but once he’s outside of Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft is released with out a hitch. The planet Mars is still a long way away, but AstrobioBot’s dream is now in sight. He will spend the next six months coasting through space… but soon he will reach his beloved Mars.